“This was not the usual Samsung smartphone launch. The Galaxy Alpha, one of two high-end smartphones that Samsung has been teasing this summer, made a quiet debut early Wednesday. Samsung announced the phone in a press release posted on its website,” Roger Cheng reports for CNET. “While the Galaxy Alpha had the usual run-up of rumors and speculation befitting any high-profile smartphone, notably missing was any kind of fanfare from Samsung.”
“The metal-banded Galaxy Alpha is clearly designed to address the complaints that customers have expressed about the cheaper plastic feel of Samsung’s smartphones. But it’s a confusing product that doesn’t cleanly fit into the Korean conglomerate’s product portfolio. Its metal construction suggests a flagship smartphone position, but its weaker specifications relative to the Galaxy S5 place it closer to the mid-tier category,” Cheng reports. “So is it a flagship product or not? It is still unclear. A Samsung spokesman wasn’t immediately available to provide further detail on the Galaxy Alpha, including any potential US launch date or price.”
“Either way, Samsung can use the help. The company posted disappointing results for the second quarter on weaker smartphone sales, and warned that the rest of the year would be weak as well,” Cheng reports. “From an aesthetic point of view, the Galaxy Alpha looks like a step up from the Galaxy S5. The Galaxy Alpha’s front and back features a dimpled texture — it’s unclear for now exactly what the material is. But it is clearly ringed by a metal frame. The chamfered edges — meaning beveled and polished — and its bottom speaker holes look virtually identical to the design of the iPhone.”
“Samsung’s quiet debut of the Galaxy Alpha may serve as the company’s attempt to test out the use of metallic materials without the commitment of a full-blown flagship smartphone launch. The company has previously been reluctant to use metal because of interference issues, the high cost of metal, and the inability to quickly mass produce such a device,” Cheng reports. “That the Galaxy Alpha exists suggest it is the first step toward eventually integrating metal into more of its devices. As such, the Galaxy Alpha is a likely an important stepping stone in Samsung’s development plans and is a flagship smartphone in the sense that it is driving the company’s thoughts on future design.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Samsung’s thoughts on future design: Crumpled three-year-old doodles pilfered from Jony Ives’ waste bin.
Apple’s products came first, then Samsung’s:
Here’s what Google’s Android looked like before and after Apple’s iPhone:
Here’s what cellphones looked like before and after Apple’s iPhone:
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Sparkles” for the heads up.]
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Samdung is hurting financially so they found old S3 and S4 parts and threw them in the alpha to show how high their margins are.
Yeah, what’s to “fanfare” about?
Android: “The “Samsmoke & mirrors” phone system.
you probably got it.
they are desperate to shave spending.
Yet all the FanDroids will love it and say how innovative it is.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Maybe not. Samsung’s recent financials suggest they are floundering.
Cheaters only “seem” to prosper, then they fade away!
Google is an American Traitor – freely giving Android to Asian handset makers… it effects the American economy and harms homeland innovation laws and ultimately Apple. They are your first to blame.
Great marketing move…what’s the next version going to be called? Galaxy Beta?
Well Nancy you got a great point… Alpha and Beta are merely for exploration and testing… hahahaha. Not a full and real product then. Good luck Slamdung.
And I love the wallpaper with the broken screen simulation. How appropriate. Love it!
Well, of course. After all, it’s running Android, made for you by Our Lady of the Perpetual Beta!
They got the screen size right at least. 4.7 inches is perfect. Just sucks that it runs Android. I wish it ran a simpler, more refined OS with a much more secure environment. I’d also prefer this OS to be a 64-bit powerhouse, and for the phone to have a processor capable of running it sufficiently. I wish it was made entirely out of metal rather than a bumper-like strip around the edges. I wish it had a cool, intuitive biometric security mechanism that allowed me to unlock the phone with a light touch of my finger so my master password could be a long alphanumeric series of characters, which takes security even further.
If someone could make a phone like that, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. But this phone, like all Samsung phones, leaves a lot to be desired.
Wink wink
Slamdung had the opportunity from Apple long ago to be exclusively running Apples’ iOS. One day this might be their biggest mistake.
Screen size at the time was inferior to Retina Screen, while Slamdung offered larger phone sizes. Sure a nice move.
However, Retina screens proven on iPad at much larger size than Slamdung has ever made a Tablet or Phablet — proves once again Apple innovation is superior. By doing so, and waiting (which is one of Apples huge advantages — waiting and see) allowed now for a cost effective way too further mass produce retina screens at all sizes. Wait and see the difference Slumdang millionaire — Apple sells in the trillions.
Regarding the right size.
Still feel an iPad mini is the perfect size.
Most portable size and still right for doing some minor work too. Fall back no true phone capability. Add that and we got a slum dunk. Maybe won’t see until the A10 processor comes from Apple.
I think it’s clear that only Apple can provide high end materials AND high performance components.
Samsung knew they’d have to price the thing too high so they threw in older parts — and then they realized they didn’t even know how to market the damn thing.
Somehow I’m not surprised.
they got the finish on the metal totally wrong – looks tacky – and the bevel is bad – it make the phone look thicker than it actually is.
Quit showing the ridiculous photo mashuip of Samsung phones. It’s trite.
This has to be a new MARKETING DISEASE:
– The XBox One: The THIRD xBox model release. (o_0)
– Galaxy Alpha: A follow up to the S5 model.
Turds of a feather flock together. 😯
Poor and lack of vision
I’m surprised they didn’t call it the iGalaxy Alpha.
It’s like Samsung aren’t even trying anymore.
This may actually be a ploy by Samsung to imply that phones that look more like a real iPhone are inferior to the Galaxy S5, leading to the belief that the iPhone itself is also inferior.
Unfortunately for Samsung, the next iPhone will not look the same and the implication will fall flat.
Without the big fanfare intro, when it flops like their other high end wanna-be models, nobody will notice.